eep

[ewein2412]

I was looking up the ISBN for The Empty Kingdom and discovered that it's been seriously reamed by an Ethiopian reader. Very interesting criticism (it's actually a review of A Coalition of Lions, though he doesn't refer to the title). I'm rather taken aback at his notion that my politics are shamelessly Eritrean Apologist.

http://www.amazon.com/Empty-Kingdom-Mark-Solomon/product-reviews/0670062731/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Comments

[ewein2412]

thanks, that is a really level-headed and moderate comment to have made! I do have a certain amount of sympathy for the guy--there is a raging and ongoing debate about whether or not writers should venture outside their culture/race/religion/gender etc. However, I think my British history is just as flawed as my Ethiopian history, if not more so--by this argument no one should write historical fiction, as no one can possibly be trusted to get it right. "The past is a foreign country." Part of the reason I do write historical fiction is because I reckon the field is a bit more level--everyone else is a foreigner there too.

[estara.livejournal.com]

Well from what I have read of all those debates concerning race and whatever appropriation - the people who are authentic members don't want no books written about them by non-members, they just want certain clichés not supported and authors to listen when they complain...

So even though he's working with a bit of a mistaken impression, you're thinking about his criticism and the result of that will go into future work. No more can be asked for.

[ewein2412]

some people do think you just shouldn't write outside your known culture. But yes, I do feel that I'm making a small contribution to the Western world's general knowledge of his culture and I'm sorry he feels I'm misrepresenting it. (Other Ethiopian readers, thank goodness, have felt differently.)

[estara.livejournal.com]

"some people do think you just shouldn't write outside your known culture."

It didn't seem the majority view in the discussions I read, mainly because that might mean that the prevalent culture in the 1st world technical countries, i.e. white Caucasian with European origin - would remain the culture that everyone knew about and the rest would be brushed under the carpet.

[ewein2412]

I'm not sure that's the best argument for the cause, though it may be true.

I think you're right--in general people agree it's unavoidable and can be done right. But there's a discomfort about it. I recall a white reader and fan recommending my books as appropriate "POC" literature "if you don't mind white authors."

I kind of took offense at that--is the implication that an individual should value books about his or her own cultural group only if they're written by a "member" of that culture?

And where do my gay Jewish father, multiracial sister and nieces and nephews, and Scottish residency fit into the picture of me as a White American?

sheesh.

I am not ranting at you, btw, only at the status quo!

[estara.livejournal.com]

^^ The problem is that you have people who feel they know better or can judge about something better than you everywhere - just like your aside in the comments above said - that you're now worrying about Glaswegians or Germans ^^. It was written with a humorous or ironic bent, but I don't think you would have mentioned it if you didn't feel some ambivalence about the reception.

And this is not even talking about a culture plainly not your own, like Ethiopia. So while I believe it pays to be aware of criticism, especially if many members of the culture don't like an aspect of the portrayal, but it doesn't pay to worry about pleasing everyone completely. I don't think a person can do that, whether in writing or anywhere else.

With the rising awareness of cultural appropriation the careful ally or wanna-be ally will want to make it clear that a book is not written by a member of the culture most written about in the book, though.

My personal favourite piece of crack literature is the martial arts/Australian heroine/Chinese legends book series by Kylie Chan - I totally devour it for the fun, fast-paced action and the hefty romance, but I bet if a true Hong Kong Chinese read the book they'd be doing more than roll their eyes at the Mary Sueness of the heroine who saves everyone's bacon, so that all the good guys (and even the king of the demons) love her, while she solves all their problems.

Of Interest, maybe, and for your leisurely perusal - some links

[estara.livejournal.com]

Since this topic just came up on my reading list here today, The Book Smugglers book review blog has a large post on cultural appropriation and what it is and what it isn't (with various quotes from various authors, white ones who write poc-characters,as well as poc-author and book reader links and quotes - the book smugglers themselves are one US white and one Brit Asian girl, I believe)- specifically aimed at book covers here:

http://thebooksmugglers.com/2010/02/cover-matters-on-whitewashing.html

I thought they did a good summary of the rise in awareness in recent years.

And there's actually a review of my crack action fun book out this week, by the Smart Bitches, as always they articulate it all much better than I can.

White Tiger: Dark Heavens Book One by Kylie Chan (http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/white-tiger-dark-heavens-book-one-by-kylie-chan/)